


Sirens and Bottlecaps

by zestyeli



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: F/M, I'll add tags as I go along, Merman!Mark, Siren!Mark, So is Tyler, amy is the only person that mark really trusts, amy owns a curiosity shop, be the change you want to see i guess, ethan is a good friend, everyone's great tbh, i don't see enough fics of mark as a siren, i live in the pnw so i don't know jack shit about what the water in LA is like, kathryn too, mark doesn't like deep water, people want to find mark but for all the wrong reasons, siren au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-03-25 20:13:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 6,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13842165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zestyeli/pseuds/zestyeli
Summary: An odd chain of events ends with Amy finding herself both in the company of a rather dazed-looking siren and on the run from the people who want to capture him.





	1. Early Morning Dive

**Author's Note:**

> ngl guys i don't write much so i'm sorry if this sucks.

Amy had always loved the water.  
  
As a child she had lived near the coast where she could easily walk to the beach and enjoy the comforting smell of the salty sea air, and since moving to Los Angeles she had begun to take advantage of the warm weather by visiting the shore frequently.  
  
Sitting cross-legged on the old pier, Amy gathered up her snorkel gear and looked down into the water. It was only about ten feet deep here, so she could see a school of small fish swimming between the barnacle-encrusted pilings as well as several small and brightly-colored anenomes that were resting on the sea floor.  
  
Smiling at the sight, she pulled on her mask and fins before grabbing her salvage bag and slipping into the water.  
  
Amy took a deep breath and dove under the surface. The sun had barely risen and the water was frigid, but she was not deterred.  
  
Swimming along the side of the pier, she collected flotsam and pieces of sea glass that shimmered like stars in the narrow beam of her dive light, placing them into her mesh salvage bag that was cinched closed and securely attached to her wrist.  
  
As she began to surface, something pale blue caught her eye.  
  
 Taking another deep breath, she dove back down to investigate the strange object. It was flat but with a curve to it, approximately the size of a small clam shell and opalescent in appearance.  
  
Turning it over in her hand, Amy thought it looked like a fish scale of some sort. She gingerly placed it in her bag and swam back to shore, more concerned about opening her shop on time than the mysterious scale.  



	2. Sunrise From Under the Pier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a lil POV switch haha

"The sunrise is always so beautiful from under the pier", the siren whispered to himself as he watched the light come up on the horizon. He stretched and smiled seeing the gentle glow of the light reflecting off of the blue and copper scales that covered his tail and peppered his skin like freckles.

As a siren, Mark was built to withstand the cold and deep water. Despite this, there was nothing in the world that he would ever trade for the sensation of the sun's warmth on his skin.

He continued to bask in silence until he heard the tell-tale "thump" of footsteps coming from the wooden planks above his head.

The siren froze.

He peered through the cracks between the boards to see a woman sitting quietly on the pier. Attempting to hide, Mark swam towards the small cave in the grass-beds that he called home. In his hurry to get away, the siren grazed the side of one of the barnacle-covered pilings and felt the pain of scales being ripped from his tail, the smell of his own blood clinging to his nostrils.

Shit.

Blood meant sharks and sharks meant danger, both to him and to the humans who visited the beach. He couldn't do anything to tend to his wound here, so he continued to swim home (albeit a bit faster now).

Mark gave a sigh of relief as he slipped through the familar entrance to his burrow. It was rather cramped, but it was still home. 

Reaching outside, the siren grabbed some fresh seaweed and wrapped the cut on the base of his tail. Once satisfied with his improvised bandage, Mark curled up in his bed made of kelp fronds and dozed until nightfall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it :]


	3. Opening Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyyyyy another POV switch

"Do you know what kind of fish this belongs to?"  
  
Ethan cocked his head as he examined the odd scale that Amy had handed to him.  
  
After a few seconds of squinting and pondering he frowned and replied. "Nope, I'm sorry. Maybe check with Tyler or Kat? They've lived in the area for longer than I have, so they're bound to know something!"  
  
Amy sighed and thanked him, then slid past the shelves of assorted knick-knacks and into the back room of her shop/house which functioned as both the staff room and her living room.  
  
As she sauntered inside, Tyler and Kathryn immediately looked up from their seats at the rickety fold-out table which served as Amy's kitchen counter.  
  
Tyler smiled and stood. "You're here early, how was this morning's haul? Find anything to sell?"  
  
"Yeah, but I found something else, too."  
  
She handed Tyler the scale and he quickly returned to Kathryn who immediately started to examine it.  
  
"It's definitely a scale", Kathryn mused to herself. "It's much bigger than the scales of most of the fish in the area, also thicker. It kind of looks like it belongs to a grouper or something." She handed the scale back to Amy.  
  
"I guess that explanation will have to do for now. Let's go open up, it's almost seven already."  
  
Amy walked back into the store and flipped the sign on the window to "open".  
  
Her mind wasn't exactly focused on her work to say the least...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> four chapters in one day wHAT IS HAPPENING


	4. He Just Wanted A Snack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wooooo it's another POV switch

When Mark woke up again, the pink glow of the setting sun was already illuminating his burrow. He stretched and yawned while peering outside of the entrance, taking advantage of the soft light to check on his wound. He gave a sigh of relief when he found that the cut had closed with new scales already covering the skin.  
  
Good.   
  
The siren didn't want to have to deal with predators when he didn't have the protection of his pod.  
  
How long had it been since they were separated? Mark had lost count of the-  
  
 A roaring motor interrupted his pondering.  
  
 He shot back into his burrow and watched the noisy boat pass overhead. The vessel was much longer than him and there was a cluster of fish that seemed to be following(?) it.   
  
Mark hadn't eaten in days but he tended to refrain from attacking humans if he could help it. Somehow it almost felt wrong to him whenever he went to drown someone, as if he couldn't bring himself to do such a thing.   
  
The fish, however, looked quite appetizing.  
  
The siren began to silently trail behind the boat looking for an easy meal. He circled the fish in search of a straggler and lunged at a small herring that was slower than the rest. As Mark dug his claws into his unfortunate prey, he failed to notice something tangled around his fluke.   
  
He went to swim away and eat his catch but was abruptly stopped by a wall of netting.  
  
Oh no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh geez


	5. Oh Boy: the Heckening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's 2 a.m. and i can't sleep
> 
>  
> 
> let's do this shit

Mark began to panic as the net closed around him, thrashing wildly while it pulled him closer and closer to the surface. He could barely tell up from down anymore as his feeble struggling only made him become more tangled in the netting.  
  
He'd heard of sirens who'd become bycatch, trapped in nets while hunting and disappearing, never to be heard from again.  
  
Was that how he was going to die?  
  
The frightened siren began to flail weakly as he slowly grew too tired to struggle anymore. As he started to pass out from sheer exhaustion and terror he felt his body leave the water, now completely vulnerable. Mark gasped at the sharp sting of air filling his lungs.  
  
Strong hands grabbed his arms as someone pulled him from the netting and the siren tried to thrash in protest. Mark struggled weakly in the grasp of the man holding him prisoner, his desperate attempt to sing quickly stifled by a hand over his mouth.

In a last-ditch effort to escape, Mark bit into his captor's hand.

With a yelp of surprise, the man dropped the siren. Mark scrambled clumsily to the side of the boat and slid into the water, swimming as fast as he could.

On his mad dash home, the siren looked back at the boat and confirmed that he wasn't being followed. Good, he was almost back home–

_THUNK._

He swam headfirst into a concrete piling.

~~~

"Tyler, can you come to the pier really quick? I could use some help."

"What kind of help, what's going on?"

"It's probably better if you come see for yourself. Please hurry!"

"I'm on my way."

Amy hung up and tried her best to assess the situation. She had come down to the pier to look for shells but had found what had originally appeared to be a half-naked man floating under the pier instead. Concerned that he was dead or injured, Amy had decided to reach down with the rescue pole and attempt to hook him with it. When she finally managed to pull him out from under the pier, the woman had nearly fallen in herself when she'd seen the rest of him.

If he had just been some poor drunk guy who'd gone for an unscheduled dip then it wouldn't have been the first time that she'd had to fish one out of the water, but the fact that this man had a tail instead of legs really threw her for a loop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh amy should be happy that it wasn't a fish with the legs of a man instead


	6. Temporary Living Arrangements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~It had taken Amy and Tyler a good fifteen minutes to move the siren without causing him any more injury. After a period of grunting and heavy lifting, they had managed to fit all seven feet of him into the back of the van.

Amy didn't have a plan as to exactly what they were going to do when they brought the poor guy into her house and patched him up, but she figured that they would cross that bridge when they got to it. The hum of the engine as they pulled away began to cause the siren to stir, but it seemed that he was far too out of it to care.

˜˜˜

When Mark came to, he was sitting in a container of water. He reached to touch his forehead and found that someone had already tended to his injuries. That was all well and good, but where was he?

The door creaked open and a slight young man with brown hair and green eyes peered in. 

"Hi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh hey there ethan
> 
>  
> 
> don't mind the handsome fish-man in the bathtub
> 
>  
> 
> you might want to use the other bathroom instead


	7. Bathroom Introductions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wowie zowie look who's making friends

Green eyes met brown as Ethan stood in the doorway and made eye contact with the man (beast?) who was sitting coiled in the small bathtub. He had grown up hearing stories of sirens and how they were incredibly beautiful but dangerous creatures, supposedly capable of luring an entire crew of sailors to their doom using only their voices.  
  
Ethan realized he was holding his breath, lost in the gaze of the magnificent beast.

  
  
"Hi."

  
  
The fins on the siren's ears perked up at the young man's voice. The creature tilted his head as he continued to stare at Ethan.  
  
Oh.  
  
Maybe he can't speak?  
  
To Ethan's surprise, the siren responded in a deep baritone voice that he evidently hadn't used in quite some time.

  
"H-hello. Where am I? Why am I here?"  
  
"Oh, um, you're in a bathtub. My friend Amy found you passed out at the pier, so she wanted to make sure that you were okay, we're in her house. Do you have a name?"

  
  
The siren continued to stare, making Ethan rather uncomfortable.  
  
After a moment of silence, the siren responded.

  
  
"Mark. My name is Mark."  
  
"Nice to meet you Mark, I'm Ethan."

  
  
Mark looked confused as to why Ethan was extending his hand to him but tentatively took it into his own.

  
"Um, Mark?"  
  
"Hm?"  
   
"You can let go now."

  
  
The siren looked up at the younger man sheepishly and let go, almost seeming hesitant to do so.  
  
Ethan stood and returned to the doorway. He looked back at Mark and told him that he was going to let the others know that Mark was awake, and that he would be back after his shift in the store.  
  
~~~  
  
Mark was still pretty confused as to what was happening but felt much more comfortable due to the kindness that Ethan had shown him.  
  
Maybe meeting his rescuers wouldn't be so bad...  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this seems a bit sloppy or rushed, i'm dealing with a bit of writer's block atm


	8. Fish Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it me again and i wrote a new chapter!

"So, how did you end up under the pier in the first place?"

 

Considering that she was already asking questions, Kathryn didn't seem too fazed by the fact that Amy and Tyler had brought a fish man into the house. Kathryn, Amy, Tyler, and Ethan were all cramped together in the small bathroom.

The siren shifted uncomfortably.

 

"I-if I'm being honest, I really don't remember much. The last thing that I can remember is getting caught in a net, everything else is kind of fuzzy."

"Wait wait wait, a net?"

 

Tyler looked puzzled but continued to ask questions.

 

"Do you remember who captured you? What did they do to you? Do you know where they could be?"

 "If I knew that then I probably wouldn't be sitting in this tiny bucket-ass tub."

"Rude."

 

Mark gave a cheeky grin as he flicked his tail and splashed the tall man who was sat on the floor. Tyler did not look amused. Ethan quickly changed the subject.

 

"What's it like? Living in the ocean I mean."

 

The siren had been shifting about and was currently positioned with his tail over his head, face half submerged in the water and blowing bubbles. He poked his head up at the sound of Ethan's voice. "It's wet," he grinned before returning to bubble-making.

"Come onnnnnn," Ethan groaned in a silly voice, "Surely there's more to it than that!"

Mark looked back up.

 

"The water's kind of warm here, much warmer than I'm used to. My pod used to migrate with the changing of the seasons so that we'd have enough food all year, but we didn't usually travel this far south."

 

Ethan's eyes widened.

 

"You sound like you've seen the world! What are some of your favorite places?"

"I honestly don't like travelling in the open ocean or deep water, so I tend to stick around coastlines, but I had spent some time in Hawaii when I was young."

 

Amy watched as some of the scales on Mark's face and tail began to glow with a soft blue light. It was almost mesmerizing to watch. 

The siren took notice of her awed stare.

 

"You can touch my tail if you want, I-I don't mind."

 

Amy face grew hot, embarrassed that she'd been caught gawking at the shirtless fish-man who was sitting in her bathtub. She covered her face with her hands. "Ack, I'm sorry for staring, that was super rude of me..." 

Mark giggled at the blushing woman and smiled. "It's fine, don't worry about it." He reached out of the water and tentatively touched Amy's face, startling her a little bit. The siren gave a little frown as he quickly pulled back his hand.

 

"I'm sorry for scaring you, sirens tend to greet each other by touching faces, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"No no no, it's okay!"

"Really?"

"Your hands are just really cold."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fish hand man


	9. Mundane Activities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kind of a filler chapter tbh but it was fun to write :]

"So....um...."  
  
  
It was Kathryn's turn to check in on their "guest".  
  
  
"What exactly do you _eat_? There's no telling when we'll be able to get you back in the ocean with those people hunting you and we can't just let you starve, so I figured that I could drop by the fisherman's market on my break to get you something to eat."  
  
  
The siren's ears perked up at the mention of food.  
  
  
"Usually I eat whatever I can catch, stuff like herring or rockfish, but think I'd like to try some human food as well."  
  
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Are you gonna be okay by yourself? I'm gonna be gone for a little while and the other guys will be working so no one will be able to come in and check on you. Can I trust you to stay out of trouble?"  
  
  
Mark stuck out his tongue indingnantly and giggled.  
  
  
"I'll be fine."  
  
Kat gave a little wave and left the bathroom, leaving Mark to blow his bubbles in peace.  
  
~~~  
  
Amy looked up as the bell on the door rang and watched Kathryn waddle in, weighed down by heavy bags of-  
  
groceries?  
  
Kathryn quickly waved and continued onward towards the bathroom.  
  
Huh.  
  
Amy turned to her co-worker who was currently building a glass wind chime.  
  
  
"Hey Ethan, how's the display coming along?"  
  
  
The young man looked up from the window display that he had been making out of the sea glass from yesterday morning's haul. It was looking quite stunning, the colored glass reflecting the sunlight and making green and blue lights dance across the white backdrop.  
  
  
"It's coming along alright, but I keep burning my fingers on the hot glue gun." He held up his hand and showed off his fingers which were adorned with pink Hello Kitty bandaids.   
  
"It's looking awesome dude! Be careful with the glue gun, we don't want to have to end up taking you to the ER for a case of hot glue hands."  
  
Ethan giggled and continued working on his project.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof ouch glue hands


	10. He Got Spooked But He Get Snack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry for not updating more frequently, it's kind of difficult to write when depression's being a pain in the ass :/

"You've gotta be pullin' my leg. A siren? Are you crazy?"

"You should've seen him-"

 

Kathryn froze when she heard the two men arguing, nearly dropping her grocery bag full of assorted fish and snack food.

Did these people know about Mark? 

Was it one of these men who had attacked and tried to capture him?

Deciding that she'd rather not stick around to find out, Kathryn hurried back to the shop and didn't stop until she had reached safety.

˜˜˜

 Mark was more than a bit startled when the "thunk" of the groceries being set on the bathroom counter woke him up from his nap. He shot up from his previously relaxed position with an ear-piercing shriek but calmed down when he realized that the intruder was just an equally as startled Kathryn.

A rather concerned Amy burst into the room.

 

"JESUS CHRIST WHAT WAS THAT?!"

 

"I think I might've scared him a little bit, but holy shit did he sure scare me," Kathryn said with a giggle.

She looked over to the siren, who was now covering his face with his hands and-

crying?

 He was starting to wail with a shrill sound that made it difficult to think straight. 

 

"I didn't mean to scare you, I was spooked by the noise and thought that someone was coming to hurt me, I'm so sorry for making you yell!"

 

Cringing a little at the sound, Amy tentatively walked over to the man and tried to comfort him.

 

"Woah woah woah, it's okay! It's nothing to get upset about, please don't cry..."

 

He looked up into her eyes, his own wet with tears that seemed to be glowing with a pearly white light as they rolled down his cheeks. Mark wiped his face and turned back to face the girls.

"God, I'm such a crybaby," he said with a chuckle.

 Kathryn picked up the bag again and walked back over to the bath tub, placing the food within Mark's reach. "I have to get back to work now but feel free to help yourself to anything you find in here. Amy will be with you so be sure to let her know if you need anything!"

 "Okay..... thank you....."

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what's in the bag?
> 
>  
> 
> send some ideas!


	11. Monstorous Appetite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof sorry for the hiatus

"Alrighty then, let's see what Kathryn got for you to eat."

 

Amy was sitting on the edge of the bathtub and sifting through the grocery bags, trying to see if there was something in them that would interest Mark.

What do sirens eat, anyway?

She grabbed a tin of sardines from the bag.

"This probably isn't much, but are these okay?" she asked as she opened up the container and handed it to him.

Mark immediately devoured the little fish, bones and all. He had gotten some scales on his face that were making him look like a messy child who had just eaten a cookie.

Ew.

 

"I haven't had sardines in a long time, it kind of makes me feel like a kid. When I was little my brother used to bring them to me after our pod returned from hunting in open water."

 "Did you not go with them?"

"I was too small then, but I guess that I've never really been too fond of deep water anyway. I usually stay near the shore while they hunt until they come back."

"Is that why you were so close to the beach when we found you? Did you get separated from them?"

 

Mark was clearly upset by that last question so Amy decided to change the subject by looking for some new food.

 

"Shrimp chips, sushi, oysters, dried seaweed- why are there Takis in here?"

"What are Takis?"

The siren gestured to the bag.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to let you try them..."

 

She opened the bag and handed it over.

 Mark tentatively reached in and grabbed one, popping it into his mouth. After chewing thoughtfully, he quickly ate another large handful and continued until he had finished the entire bag of Takis. 

 This probably shouldn't have startled Amy as much as it did to see the siren devour so much food in so little time- considering that he _wa_ _s_ technically a sea monster- but it was certainly unexpected.

As she stared at the carnage of the torn-up bag and the shredded sardine tin, Mark looked up at her sheepishly.

 

"Um......

Do you have any more of those?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> he's a hungry boy


	12. Quandary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sleepy boy

After eating the equivalent of a week's worth of groceries, Mark had tuckered himself out.

 

Amy knew that it was a bit odd to watch someone sleep under any matter of circumstances but she just couldn't help but stare at the incredible beast residing in the bathtub. His chest would rise and fall in a rather erratic pattern, likely because he wasn't used to breathing air for this long. The siren's ear fins would twitch as he slept, almost like a dreaming dog.

Deciding to leave him be, Amy quietly got up. She turned off the light and gently closed the door.

 

~~~

 

 

 

"You know we can't keep him here forever, he's got to return to the ocean at some point or we could be putting ourselves in danger."

"In danger of what? People are hunting him, Tyler. We can't leave Mark alone until we know he's safe."

"You know I'm worried about him too, Ethan, but I'm also worried that he won't  _want_ to go back to the ocean if we keep him here for too long. He can't live out the rest of his life crammed into a bathtub. Plus, sirens are man-eaters; what will happen when we can't afford to feed him anymore?"

 "He wouldn't hurt us."

"You  _think_ he wouldn't hurt us or you  _know_ he wouldn't hurt us?"

 

Ethan was quiet for a second.

 

"I trust him, Tyler. If he wanted to hurt us then he would have done it by now."

 "Well I hope that you're right."

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hm... :/


	13. Elsewhere

"You'd better not be pulling my leg, Maury. If there really _is_  a siren down there, that could mean we'd be coming into a lot of money if we caught it."  
  
" _When_ we catch it. The thing was skittish, but it didn't seem to be watching where it was going. We corner it, we grab it, and we turn it in to Derrickson."  
  
"You seem confident. How do you know that it's even in the area anymore?"  
  
"It was alone. Sirens usually live in pods, but loners tend to stick around the in same place if they can find food. I'm positive it's here."  
  
"You'd better be right. Call Clark and Peters, tell 'em to be on the boat by eight o'clock and to bring some sturdy rope and netting."  
  
"We're going to catch ourselves a siren!"  
  
~~~  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what are those nasties up to


	14. Leggy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> meanwhile, back at the ranch

Amy woke up at around four in the morning to a loud crashing noise from the bathroom. Worried that Mark was hurt, she quickly put on her glasses and ran down the hall.  
  
She threw open the door and switched on the light.  
  
  
"What's going on in- _oh my god, you have legs_."  
  
  
Mark was currently sprawled out on the floor like a newborn deer, trying to stand but wobbling and falling back down, it would have been a funny sight if it hadn't been so startling.  
  
Amy leaned down to help him sit upright.  
  
  
"So how exactly did this happen?"  
  
"I remembered my brother telling me as a kid that we could shift into a more "human" form, but I'd never tried it before. I wish he'd told me that it would hurt this much, though," he said with a grimace.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"I'm really sore, but other than that I'm okay."  
  
  
 He looked down for a moment and frowned.  
  
  
"How in Poseidon's name do you guys walk on these spindly little things? I used to think that crab legs were strange, but human legs are so much weirder and even more inefficient."  
  
"I'm not sure whether I should be offended or not," she said with a laugh, "Tyler could probably help you walk when he wakes up, but for now let's get you some clothes or something."  
  
  
The siren seemed confused, which wasn't really that odd considering that he'd technically been naked his whole life. Clothing was probably a pretty foreign concept to him.  
  
Nonetheless, he waited patiently as Amy left the room and returned with one of Tyler's old sweatshirts and a pair of basketball shorts. They were both way too big for him, but they would do the trick until she managed to get him some proper-fitting clothes.  
  
Putting clothes on Mark was a lot like dressing a small child, although he'd managed to pull on the shorts by himself, Amy had to help him put his arms through the holes in the hoodie.  
  
Even without his tail and most of his sirenic features, Mark still had little blue and copper freckle-like scales on his back, face, legs, and shoulders. His ear fins weren't nearly as noticeable either, both only a few centimeters long.  
  
It was weird to see him look so _human_.  
  
  
"If you're still tired, I can help you over to the spare bedroom. It's a lot more comfy than the bathtub, I promise!"  
  
"Okay."  
  
  
Amy helped Mark wobble to his feet, and they walked together to the spare bedroom.  
  
After closing the door, Amy had Mark sit down on the bay window so that she could make the bed. She fixed the covers and tucked him in for the night, turning off the lamp so that the only thing illuminating the room was the gentle moonlight.  
  
As she turned to leave, Mark sat up.  
  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"I've gotta go back to sleep, silly."  
  
"Oh, okay."  
  
  
He sounded a bit nervous.  
  
  
"Do you want me to stay here with you?"  
  
  
Mark nodded shyly.  
  
  
"Okay, I'll be right back, I'm going to go get a blanket."  
  
  
She grabbed a pale yellow knitted blanket and returned to the room.  
  
  
"Amy?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Thank you for letting me stay here, and for staying with me."  
  
"You're welcome, Mark."  
  
  
Amy settled down on the bay window.  
  
  
"Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight."  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :>


	15. Coffee and Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o o f i've been v busy lately but heyyyyyy i'm posting again

When Amy woke up, Mark was nowhere to be seen.

  
  


“Mark?”

  
  


She stretched then stood, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders, and walked down the hallway to the kitchen. Even though she was still groggy, Amy could hear the hushed voices of Kat and Tyler as they were having a chat over coffee; it looked like the both of them were rather disheveled.

 

Kathryn turned to Amy, taking a sip of her coffee.

  
  


“So, when were you gonna tell us that Mark grew legs?”

  
  


Amy had known Kathryn for long enough to be able to tell that she was pissed off, but it was kind of hard to find her intimidating when she was drinking out of a gudetama mug.

  
  


“I’m sorry, Kat, but it was pretty surprising to me, too! He woke me up last night when he fell out of the tub, I didn’t want to wake you guys up, so I found him some clothes and went back to sleep. Where is he, anyway?”

 

“He wasn’t with you?”

 

“I let him sleep in the spare bed last night, but he wasn’t there this morning. I thought he might have wandered out here with you guys!”

  
  


Tyler shook his head.

  
  


“I haven’t seen him at all since yesterday. Can he even walk on his own?”

 

“Even if he can, he probably didn’t get very far. I’m sure that at least one of us would have noticed him stumbling around, right, Amy?”

 

“You’re right…”

 

“Hey, has anybody seen Ethan?”

  
  


Just then, the door opened.

  
  


“Hey, guys!”

  
  


Ethan walked in, holding a full salvage bag, followed by Mark.

 

Kathryn, Amy, and Tyler gave a collective sigh of relief. 

  
  


“Oh, Ethan, Mark, thank god you guys showed up! Amy, Kat, and I were worried that something had happened to you,” Tyler smiled, standing to greet them.

 

“Nothing bad happened, I guess Mark had just wandered out of the guest room and into mine; he just about scared the shit out of me when I woke up to see him standing at the foot of my bed.”

  
  


Mark’s face went red with embarrassment, he hid his face in his hands. Ethan giggled and gently moved the siren’s hands from his face.

  
  


“Anyway, I decided to take him with me when I went out to dive earlier, he was a huge help!”

  
  


Mark was blushing even more now.

  
  


“But I didn’t even swim….”

 

“Yeah, but you still found a bunch of flotsam! How did you even do that, the thing with your voice?”

 

“What thing,” Tyler asked, “what happened with his voice?”

  
  


Mark shifted on his feet like a timid child.

  
  


“I sang to the sea glass so it would glow and be easier for Ethan to find. Sirens can use things like sea glass kind of like a container to store our voices; I’m not really sure how, but it works.”

 

“Well it’s a really cool trick, I wish that I could do stuff like that!”

 

“Thank you,” Mark smiled, standing more confidently.

 

Ethan placed the salvage bag on the table and pulled it open, revealing the smooth, glowing pieces of sea glass.

 

Amy tentatively picked up one of the fragments and began to turn it in her hands, examining the beautiful treasure. It felt just like a normal piece of sea glass, but it seemed to be radiating a sort of warmth. It wasn’t warm to the touch, per se, it was an odd sort of feeling, almost like some sort of aura was surrounding the fragment.

  
  


“They’re  _ beautiful _ .”

  
  


Ethan looked to Tyler and beamed.

 

“What do you think, Tyler? I could probably use these to make some windchimes or something, or maybe we could just sell them as is! I’m sure that customers would think they’re pretty nifty.”

  
  


Kathryn cut in before Tyler could answer.

  
  


“As ‘nifty’ as they are, we should probably ask Mark if there are any side effects first, they  _ are _ magic and all.”

 

“It should be fine, I didn’t charge them with negative intent or anything like that, they just glow.”

 

“Fine by me, then. Tyler?”

 

“Go nuts, Eth.”

 

“Yes! I’ll get the hot glue gun.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ethan is ready to go all martha stewart up in this bitch
> 
>  
> 
> also: 
> 
> i actually own that gudetama mug, it is a shining gem amongst stones in my glassware cabinet


	16. Kathryn Goes Mom-Mode

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aw geez i've been busy lately
> 
>  
> 
> but heyyyyyyyyyyyyy update

~~~

 

Mark, Kathryn, Tyler, and Amy worked together to help Ethan assemble the wind chimes; it was tiring work to fit the glass pieces into place so that they could be glued to the frame, almost like trying to put together a puzzle with no reference as to what the final product was actually supposed to look like (Amy made a mental note to commend Ethan for his crafting skills).

 

After about two hours, they had completed fifteen wind chimes, each piece of glass still retaining their gentle glow. Tyler and Amy took the finished chimes and went into the store to put them on display while Ethan and Kathryn stayed behind to clean up before their shifts. Mark stayed with Ethan and Kathryn to help them to the best of his abilities, watching intently as they placed the materials back into their containers and miming their actions.

 

Mark let out a yelp and clutched his hand, breathing sharply through clenched teeth and grimacing.

Kathryn quickly turned to him and touched his shoulder gently, like a mother soothing a child.

 

“Are you okay? What happened?”

 

“There was something sharp in that jar-thing and I cut my hand on it, it really hurts!”

 

“Could I please see your hand? I just want to see the cut, I promise I’m not trying to hurt you.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Kathryn held out her palm and Mark timidly gave her his hand.

She carefully turned over his hand and examined his palm, revealing a large gash down the middle that extended from his little finger to his thumb.

Kat furrowed her brow for a moment.

 

“It doesn’t look that deep, but we should still clean it off. Could you come with me to the bathroom for a sec?”

 

She led Mark into the bathroom and turned on the sink.

 

“This might hurt at first, but it will feel better soon. Is it alright if I wash the cut?"

 

 

The siren looked a bit nervous, but nodded quietly and gave Kathryn his hand again.

Kathryn held his hand gingerly as she put it under the cold running water, taking care to not put too much pressure on the gash.

 

After a moment or two, something odd was happening.

 

Not only was the water cleaning the wound, but it seemed to be closing it altogether!

 

Startled, She shut off the faucet and took a closer look at his hand.

His palm was no longer bleeding, although there was still a visible outline of where the gash had been, and his skin appeared to be mending itself before her eyes.

Mark seemed a bit confused by her wonderment.

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

Kathryn showed him the scar on his hand.

 

“Did you know that you could do that? Did you know that you could heal yourself like that?”

 

Mark looked surprised, too.

 

“I knew that I’d always been able to heal myself fairly quickly, but never like that”, he replied, “It usually takes longer to heal cuts like these, even in my normal form.”

 

“Well, it’s a pretty cool trick anyway,” Kathryn said with a smile, “C’mon, let’s get you back to the others before I go start my shift.”

 

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey that's pretty neat


	17. A/N

Hi! It's me, the author of this story, and I'm here to let you all know that I am not abandoning this fic.

I'm kind of swamped with work at the moment, but I hope to post at least one new chapter by next month.

 

Stay tuned!


	18. Worries

“How do you feel about going into the city with us tonight?”

  
  


Mark looked up at Tyler with a puzzled look on his face.

  
  


“The city?”

  
  


They had all finished closing down the shop for the day, the sun was getting low on the horizon, and the little sign on the door had been flipped to “closed”. Everyone was visibly tired, but they all seemed to perk up at the thought of having a night out. 

 

Everyone, that is, except for Kathryn.

  
  


“What about the people hunting Mark? What if they’re still looking for him?”

“They were probably just going through the area, wouldn’t they be gone by now? Either way, we’ve all been cooped up all-”

  
  


Kathryn stood and the room was immediately quiet.

 

“I saw them, Ethan, At the fish market. They were talking about Mark.”

“Are you sure?”

  
  


Tyler’s face was wary, knitting his brows in thought.   
  


 

“I’m positive. They were saying something about a siren, it sounded like they were looking to capture him for some awful reason. I don’t think it’s safe for Mark, or any of us, to leave.”

  
  


Everyone was visibly nervous, Mark was huddled into Tyler’s side as he held onto Amy’s hand for comfort, Ethan shifted in his seat and glanced out the window as if he was watching for an intruder.

 

Ethan timidly spoke up.

 

 

“What if they find us? What would happen to us if they found the shop? From what Mark told us, I don’t think that those guys would be too happy that we were hiding ‘their siren’, wouldn’t we be in danger, too?”

  
  


After a few moments of silence, Amy turned to Kathryn. 

  
  


“It might be a good idea to leave the house, at least for tonight. Mark doesn’t have a tail anymore, if we can pass him off as human, then they might think he left and move on. Maybe we can keep him safe.”

  
  


Kathryn was quiet, she’d been pacing throughout the conversation but had stopped abruptly.

  
  


“That...that might just work. We can go out and have fun, and hopefully make them lose their trail. I’m sorry for worrying so much. Do you want to go to the city, Mark?”

  
  


The siren nodded.

  
  


“I’m scared of the people hunting me, but I’m more scared of you guys getting hurt.”

  
  


Mark smiled thoughtfully.

  
  


“Plus, I’ve never been to a city before.”

 

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this chapter seems rushed, i'm working on the next chapter right now.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm already working on the next chapter, so let me know if you want me to continue this story!


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